Dear YES Community,
As you may have seen in the news, a shooting took place at Moakley Park on Tuesday night, April 20, 2021. I want to let you know that Youth Enrichment Services (YES) is working with Boston Police Department, elected officials, and other youth sports groups to address the incident, mitigate future issues, and ensure the safety of youth and families who use the park. Tuesday’s incident was a very frightening situation and is being taken very seriously by all.
I attended a Community Meeting last night regarding the shooting; thank you to South Boston Youth Lacrosse for organizing it. The meeting was attended by Boston and State Police, our local state and city elected officials, youth programs that use Moakley Park, and parents.
Boston Police Department and elected officials have pledged the following:
- There will be a continued Boston Police Department presence during scheduled youth practice times.
- The Boston Parks Department will be providing Boston Police Department with all youth athletic schedules moving forward.
- Elected officials will be working with the Boston Police Department to install cameras in the park.
- Massachusetts State Police has pledged to assist in keeping an eye on Moakley Park as all roads surrounding the park are state jurisdiction.
We do believe with this added emphasis on safety and police presence Moakley Park will be safe to continue YES’s Track and Field programming. At this point, YES Track & Field practices are on as scheduled. We understand that your decision to attend is a personal one, and we will respect and support everyone’s individual preference.
Thank you again to the Boston Police Department, in particular C-6 and Captain Boyle, for their support in keeping our youth and families safe. Thank you also to the South Boston Youth Lacrosse for their leadership in organizing a response to the incident.
I welcome YES families to contact me directly if you have any questions or would like to discuss this further.
Sincerely,
Bryan Van Dorpe
Executive Director
[email protected]